Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart

Fallen First-Responders' Family Naturalization Fee-Relief Act of 2021 This bill waives certain immigration application or petition fees for an applicant who is (1) an injured firefighter or law enforcement officer, or (2) an immediate relative of an injured or deceased firefighter or law enforcement officer. Specifically, such fees must be waived if the firefighter or law enforcement officer died or was permanently and totally disabled from an injury sustained in the line of duty.

Study To Observe and Prevent (STOP) Human Trafficking Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Justice, in coordination with the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to study and report on the prevalence and instances of human trafficking at adult entertainment clubs in the United States.

Protecting Our Wellbeing by Expanding Russian Sanctions Act or the POWERS Act This bill expands existing sanctions against foreign persons engaged in certain activities related to the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipelines, two Russian pipelines that were constructed to supply natural gas to Europe. Currently, these sanctions apply to foreign persons that (1) provided pipe-laying vessels for the construction of either pipeline, (2) facilitated certain transactions for such vessels, (3) provided certain underwriting services or insurance for such vessels, or (4) provided certain services for such vessels or Nord Stream 2. Under this bill, these sanctions must also apply to any foreign person that engaged in any transaction with such sanctioned persons. The bill also reinstates any sanctions that were previously waived with respect to Nord Stream 2 AG (the company established to construct and operate the pipeline) or any of its corporate officers. Such reinstated sanctions may not be waived except by an act of Congress.

Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act This bill addresses issues concerning diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The bill directs the Department of State to seek to enter into negotiations with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the United States to rename its office in the District of Columbia as the Taiwan Representative Office in the United States. (The U.S.-Taiwan relationship is unofficial, and TECRO is Taiwan's principal representative in the United States.) In addition, the bill establishes a W nonimmigrant visa for aliens affiliated with Taiwan's diplomatic operations, including (1) an ambassador, public minister, or career diplomatic or consular officer accredited by Taiwan and accepted by the United States; (2) a designated principal representative of Taiwan to an international organization; and (3) the immediate family members of such individuals. Specified holders of a W visa shall be entitled to certain immunities afforded to holders of diplomatic visas. The bill also requires the President to appoint the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan with the advice and consent of the Senate. (After the U.S.-Taiwan relationship became unofficial, the United States conducted relations with Taiwan through the American Institute in Taiwan. The institute's office in Taipei performs many of the same functions as an embassy.)

No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act This bill modifies the bar against U.S. courts enforcing or validating trademarks that were confiscated by the Cuban government. The bill prohibits U.S. courts from enforcing or validating such confiscated trademarks if the mark had been used in connection with a confiscated business or asset. Currently, the prohibition applies only if the confiscated trademark is being asserted in the United States by a Cuban national. Under the bill, the prohibition shall not apply if the original trademark owner, or a successor, has expressly consented to the enforcement action. The prohibition shall apply only if the entity asserting the trademark rights knew or should have known, when it acquired the rights, that the mark was the same or substantially similar to one connected to a confiscated business or asset.

Major Richard Star Act This bill provides that combat-disabled uniformed services retirees with fewer than 20 years of creditable service may concurrently receive, without reduction, veterans' disability compensation and retired pay or combat-related special compensation.

This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the John R. Lewis Post Office Building.

Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 This bill provides support to Taiwan and addresses related issues. For example, the bill (1) establishes a comprehensive training program with Taiwan's government to familiarize the U.S. military and Taiwan's military with each other and achieve interoperability, and (2) authorizes the Department of State to take actions to help Taiwan become a non-borrowing member of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Preserving the Gulf Test Range to Ensure Military Readiness Act This bill establishes a moratorium on energy development (e.g., offshore wind development) in specified areas of the Gulf of Mexico until June 30, 2032. Until that date, the Department of the Interior may not conduct certain energy development activities in any area east of the Military Mission Line in the Gulf of Mexico. The moratorium also applies to other areas of the Outer Continental Shelf—the South Atlantic Planning Area, the Straits of Florida Planning Area, or any area west of the Military Mission Line in the Gulf of Mexico—if energy exploration, leasing, or development in that area has been identified as having any adverse effect on national security, military readiness, or the Department of Defense's testing capabilities. However, Interior may issue leases in those areas for environmental conservation purposes, including the purposes of shore protection, beach nourishment and restoration, wetlands restoration, and habitat protection.

Social Security Fairness Act of 2021 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. These changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2021.